Naughty Nanna.......but doing the best I can!

However, very few people on here choose their profession or job as their username
(But some do remind us at every turn)
Personally I think I am much more than either a Mum/Granny/ teacher/ wife/dog slave owner/book reader/cook/ these may all be a part of my make up, but what I am is different from what I do/did.

Looking out for new members calling themselves 2nd handcarsalesman, dodgyestateagent, flashbanker or queenoftheunitedkingdom

Quite right.....Perhaps at the first sniff of a criticism shower it is best to stick to biscuits and mattress covers. Then the shower will soon pass over. Don't rise to the bait????

There are excellent, good, indifferent and poor in every job, but the thing about teachers is that our precious, beloved DC and DGC are entrusted to their care.
I have encountered nasty ones and wonderful ones - inspiring teachers and absolutely useless teachers who failed children and blighted their choices for the future and may well have damaged their confidence.

Most of us probably have at least one teacher in the family, even if we did not choose that profession for ourselves. I hope the teachers in my family are excellent and inspiring!

However, very few people on here choose their profession or job as their username.

A hated teacher? - please do not take this personally teachers who are reading this!

One of my DDs, who had problems with her eyesight and wore glasses, found reading very difficult indeed. Nowadays she would be classed as dyslexic and have lots of help forthcoming, but in those days there was nothing. There was a teacher at one primary school she attended who ridiculed and belittled her endlessly and destroyed her confidence. Neither my DD nor I can speak of this woman now without seething - and DD gets very distressed when she is mentioned. DD is a big outgoing personality and full if exuberance now, but still the memory rankles.

I remember one occasion when, at the age of about 10, she struggled her way through an entire (very easy) book and at home we all acknowledged her success with hugs and smiles. She came home from school the next day in tears as the she had told the teacher of her achievement and was told "Katy X has read dozens of books!" How to put a child down in one easy lesson!

I used to dread parents' evenings, not just with this teacher, but many others whose first comment whenever we entered the room is "She's not as bright as her older sister" - in the end I would just say "Is this relevant?" I sent them to different schools at secondary stage.

As a counter-balance, I had the same teacher for 2 years at the latter end of my primary education and I loved him unreservedly. Avuncular and tweed clad, with a pipe in his pocket, he was wonderful - Mr Farrell I salute you! And the skinny white-haired lady music teacher who told me I could sing and changed my entire life. Dear Miss Matthews.

Well that took a while to read. Do I hate teachers ? Well only the 2 that made DS1 life a misery, but I would nominate another 1 for a sainthood that IMO helped to make my DD the success she is today. Teachers like any profession are all different. My advice to Teacher11 is lighten up, and change your username I hope you are more than just your profession.
With regards to the OP it's all about little and often no harm done by a bit of good children's TV. My big bug bear is small children given iPads and phones to use as a babysitter, I hate to see it in restaurants where the children are ignored. DD and DDIL feel the same way as do the rest of the family. When we eat out as a family we all interact and help with the children. Again it's all about balance, children should use these gadgets as they are part of life now , but they shouldn't be relied on.

petra one of the things that shapes my teaching is the cruel behaviour I experienced from a teacher when I was 8. I only had one bad teacher and one bad year, but that was bad enough. I am sorry to read of your awful experiences and not surprised they have left their mark. I hope my pupils will always think of me as kind and fair - I tell the stories of how nasty my teacher was to me and they are horrified - it is probably therapy for me .

I am often aware when talking to parents that some have a very negative attitude towards teachers, founded on their own experiences. If I am over-reactive, it is because I have been on the sharp end of what I can only describe as absolute nastiness from parents who are not prepared to help their children and actively disrespect teachers in front of them.

Equally, I understand we have to watch ourselves - there is that tendency, because we are so used to telling others what to do, to be heavy handed and for things to come out the wrong way.

Teacher11 and Alea thanks for the grammar and vocabulary lessons today .

Moving on ... does anyone have a song tape with 'Pooky-doodle puppy' on it? If so -title please. This was a favourite when mine were tiny - the repeat choruses seemed to go on forever, but it was very loved and I am wondering if /I can get hold of it for my DD and GS.

By which I meant that if you want to know what it is like to be judged by the worst example - it was not an exhortation to you to join the SW profession!

Teacher11 - you should try being a social worker!!!!

Not accusing you of being defensive teacher11 I think it is something many occupations suffer from, the "every single one's an expert" syndrome. We don't necessarily knock High Court Judges or even dentists or surgeons (although people do like to quote cases of appalling HVs or midwives or doctors) but on the basis that we have all been through school, have all "experienced" teaching, teachers do get a bashing in general.
However, disagreeing with one poster "doth not a teacher-bashing make" and I think my comment was directed more at imperfect27 who it seemed, sensed criticism of teachers in general.

I've got a lovely plastic LP of nursery rhymes being sung really well by obviously professional singers. It must be fortyfive years old now. Kept DDs playing calmly somehow.

You are bigger than that Teacher. Stick around. #hardshell

I so agree that it needn't, and probably shouldn't, be all tv. Story tapes are great. They can do their Lego or toy cars games whilst listening. Good for the old listening skills too. Might even help with the ADHD!

Well, I feel battered and bruised but it's my own fault so I am off to 'Biscuits' and 'Mattress Toppers'.

I've still got all of the Thomas stories on old fashioned plastic LPs. Those were the days. Sigh.

And I don't mean Teacher11.

Pathetic.

I have noticed that many people judge all teachers by the worst one they ever had so there is not much love expressed towards the profession. However, I never hear any complaints about being able to read and write.

I mean quite right about the 'intransitive verb' part, not the teacher bashing part! (Though I think Mr Gove would give me a detention for using an exclamation mark!)

Quite right, Alea.

Alea. Although I don't understand a word of what your saying, I like it, if that makes sense.

I think I have 'bashing' rights. In PRIMARY school I was hit round the head so hard my glasses flew off. Hit with the cane and slipper and had to say thank you!! Then we had the sadist who would crack you over the back of the head with his knuckle if you were sent out of the class and told to face the wall.
The teacher who knocked my glasses off went to prison some years later for assault on a child. That's how bad he was. As you can tell, it left a lasting impression.

However........
I have to take issue with this
"I don't, however, resile my position about language skill acquisition"
Oh dear, "resile" is an intransitive verb, and consequently needs a preposition as it does not take an object.
So you can "resile from a position" but not, alas, what you said Teacher11.
#pedantsanon

I think luckygirl echoes what I thought right at the beginning. Just because you disagree with an opinion doesn't mean you object to every member or former member of that profession even if you did know exactly , given that we are generally anonymous!
No need for anybody to be defensive.

I'm not sure there is teacher bashing. It's just that several posters disagree with this particular teacher about early learning.

What's that you say? No teacher bashers on GN? (Laughs weakly).

I resile from the word resile.
As a teacher I always tried to communicate clearly and avoid unexplained jargon wherever possible.